Golf stance guiding device



Aug. 5, 1969 R. v. GREEN 3,459,429

GOLF STANCE GUDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1967 ze 25 Z9 I7) 04' INVENTOR.A 27 @ff/4Q@ 14 Gef-5M 7 TOR/VE V United States Patent O 3,459,429 GOLFSTANCE GUIDING DEVICE Richard V. Green, 471 S. Barranca St., Covina,Calif. 91722 Filed Nov. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 682,784 Int. Cl. A63b 69/36U.S. Cl. 273-187 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A compact trainingand practice device having a body with three chambers in each of which aroll-up tape is housed, two of the tapes being aligned and bearingindicia which, when the tapes are extended, guide the position of thegolfers feet in relation to the ball according to the sex of the golferand the club to be used, and the third tape, when extended in adirection normal to the mentioned two tapes, providing a gauge that hasan end that lines up the device with the ball and with the golfers lineof sight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The execution of a successful drive or othergolf stroke depends, in a large measure, upon the golfers ability toalign himself properly with the ball and the desired line of flightthereof. A proper stance is one that allows a free and smooth movementthroughout the swing. For each club, and depending whether the golfer istall or short, male or female, the stance assumed will be different inrelation to the ball, Whether closed or open, more oif one foot than theother, and other such position factors.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a device ascharacterized which, from a compact and easily stored condition, may beextended to a desired operative position relative to the ball to bestroked and, in said position, serving to locate the golfers feet, hisline of sight, and distance from the ball. Continued practice inswinging at a ball, while so properly positioned, Will ultimately teachthe golfer how to take the proper stance without aid and enable him tofind the desired groove for stroking the ball with any of the severalclubs used in the game of golf.

Golfers feetand ball-positioning devices are representatively disclosedin U.S. Patents Nos. 2,025,519; 2,886,326; and 3,229,981. The first ofthese shows a gauge comprised of three flexible hinge-connected members,a circular case being provided for housing these members when the sameare first mutually aligned and then rolled up, as a unit, to lit saidcase. The second shows a caliperlike arrangement of rigid members whichcan only be contracted to a minimum size due to telescopicinterengagement of the several parts. The third is comprised of hingedlyconnected bars and arms incapable of being contracted to a compact form.Of further interest are Patents Nos. 2,150,580; 2,169,407; and2,777,697.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description, which is based on theaccompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and thefollowing description merely describes, preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, which are given by way of illustration or exampleonly.

3,459,429 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 SUMMARY oF THE INVENTION The stanceguiding device of the present invention comprises, generally, a casing10 which is divided by partitions 11 and 12 into three compartments 13,14 and 15, and flexible and independently extensible tapes 16, 17 and18, respectively, housed in said compartments, the tape 16 beingprovided with indicia 19 to gauge the extension thereof for locating theleft foot 20 of the golfer, the tape 17 being provided with indicia 21to gauge the extension thereof for locating the right foot 22 of thegolfer, and the tape 18 being provided with gauge marks 23 and with amarker end 24 for guiding alignment with the ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing, like referencecharacters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. l is a plan view of the present stance-guiding device in extended,operative position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of said device shown in contractedposition.

FIG. 3 is a partly broken side view of the device, as in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, to the scale of FIGS. 2 and 3, are face views of thethree position-guiding tapes of the present device.

FIG. 7, to the scale of FIG. 1, is a plan view of a modiication.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The casing 10 has itscompartments 13 and 14 coplanar and the compartment 1S normal thereto.In FIG. l, the compartment 15 is located with the other tWo inL-arrangement. In the modification of FIG. 7, the compartment 15 iscentered on the other two in T-arrangement. In either case, the twotapes 16 and 17 are coplanar with the tape 18 normal thereto.

The particular construction of the tapes is immaterial except that theends 25 and 26 of the respective tapes 16 and 17 are oppositely directedand, when drawn from the chambers 13 and 14, extend oppositely, as shownin FIG. 1. The mentioned tape end 24, when drawn from the chamber 15,extends in a direction away from the coplanar tapes. The tapes may be ofthe self-latching type when drawn out, so the same will remain inextended operative position as set, and will roll up under suitablespring bias to the condition of FIGS. 2 and 3 when release thereof iseffected. The ends of the three tapes are formed as stops to limitretraction thereof and serve as handles by which the tapes are extended.

The tape 16, as shown in FIG. 5, is provided with graduations 27 which,together with the mentioned indicia 19, guide the extended setting ofsaid tape so its end 25 will serve as a marker for locating the leftfoot 20 of the golfer, said indicia 19 advising which graduation 27should be placed in reference to side face 28 of the casing 10,according to the club to be used and the sex and/or physical size of thegolfer. It will be seen from FIG. 1 that the extension of the tape 16,as above indicated, locates the golfers foot 20 a distance from the lineof the tape 18 and the sight line on the ball, accordingly.

The tape 17, as shown in FIG. 4, is provided with graduations 29 which,together with the indicia 21, guide the extended setting of said tape soits end 26 will serve as a marker for locating the right foot 22 of thegolfer, said indicia 21 advising which graduation 29 should be placed inreference to the side face 30 of the case, according to the club to beused and the sex and/or physical size of the golfer.

It will be seen from FIG. 1, which has the tapes 16 and 17 set for menand use of the driver, that the ball will be 3 played olf the left foot.It will be clear that the setting of said tapes 16 and 17 for thevarious other clubs that are used by a golfer, will guide thepositioning of the golfers feet so the stance shortens from the openstance used when driving, as well as progressively locate the line ofsight of the ball nearer the right foot, as clubs with less loft, as inindicia 21, are used.

The tape 18, as shown in FIG. 6, is provided with the mentioned gaugemarks to be used, selectively, with relation to the end face 31 of thecase 10, for locating the marker end 24 of said tape adjacent to theball.

Operation The execution of a successful drive depends largely upon thegolfers ability to align himself properly with the ball and the desiredline of flight. The procedure for using the present guiding means is asfollows:

(1) Extend the right and left tapes to the markings 27 and 29corresponding to the club number and the tape 18 to the proper scalemarks 23 for men or women.

(2) The device is then placed on the ground with the top of the tapes 16and 17 aligned with the desired line of ilight and the tape 18 pointingdirectly at the ball.

(3) When playing 1 through 5 woods and 1 through 6 irons, a squarestance is assumed by placing the center of each heel directly in frontof the ends 25 and 26 of each club tape with the right foot at rightangles to the line of flight and the left foot turned slightly inward.

(4) When playing 6 through 9 irons, pitching wedge or sand wedge, anopen stance is assumed by placing the left heel directly in front of theend of the left tape, and the right heel approximately two inches infront of the end of the right tape.

(5) The shoulders are kept parallel to the line of flight, the knees areflexed slightly, and the golfer bends forward at the waist until hiseyes are directly above the end 24 of the tape 18, distributing hisweight evenly on the inside arches of the feet from the heel to the ballof the foot.

(6) In the above position, as guided by the markers and indicia, thestroke is made, ever mindful that the head be kept stationary and down,the eyes on the ball, the shoulders and hips free, the club head in aneven plane, and the hands slightly ahead of the ball at contact.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is nowcontemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, theconstructions are, of course, subject to modification without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desiredto restrict the invention to the particular forms of constructionillustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A golf stance device comprising:

(a) a casing divided by partitions into three chambers,

two of which are coplanar and the third being normal thereto,

(b) a rolled-up extensible tape in each chamber, each tape having an endadapted to be drawn in a direction outward from the casing, the tapes inthe coplanar chambers being substantially aligned when extended and thetape in the third chamber, when extended, being substantially normal tosaid aligned tapes,

(c) graduations and related indicia on the aligned tapes to guide thedegree of extension thereof and having ends to guide the location of agolfers feet, and

(d) graduation marks on the third tape to selectively guide theextension thereof for taller and shorter golfers, the latter tape havingan end to guide the line of sight of the golfer,

(e) the two aligned tapes, when placed on the ground in operativeposition, and along the desired line of flight of the ball, therebyguiding the positions of the feet of the golfer relative to said line,and the third tape, with the device in operative position, constitutingmeans to align the eyes of the golfer with the ball.

2. A golf stance device according to claim 1 in which the thirdcompartment of the casing is oiset to one end of the coplanarcompartments to provide the casing with an L-shape.

3. A golf stance device according to claim 1 in which the thirdcompartment of the casing is centered on the coplanar compartments toprovide the casing with a T-shape.

4. A golf stance device according to claim 1 in which the tapes areindependently adjustable.

5. A golf stance device according to claim 1 in which the extensible endof the third tape is provided with a sighting marker.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,025,519 12/1935 Lingg.2,886,326 5/1959 Olds 273-187 3,399,899 9/1968 Shepherd.

FOREIGN PATENTS 591,840 8/ 1947 Great Britain.

GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 33-137, 174

